Well, I found out the "kanagel" baker's name—"Esther Lewis"—and I also found out that she stops in the pub up the street to have dinner with her husband about once a week.<br><br>I left my name and phone number and a really sweet/insistent message about getting the recipe. We'll see what becomes of it.<br><br>Fingers crossed!<br><br>

If there are any fans of Cuban food here's a very easy recipe for you, cheap but tasty.<br><br>1lb. of very lean hamburger<br>1 cup of dry cooking wine (for echt flavor, get this)<br>1 small can (8 oz.) of tomato sauce<br>pimento-stuffed green olives, sliced<br>1 tsp. cumin<br>1 tbs. oregano<br>dash or two of ground cayenne red pepper<br>salt and ground black pepper to taste<br>some people like to add a handful of raisins (I would but my wife doesn't like 'em )<br><br>Mix all this stuff together thoroughly.<br><br>Meanwhile, in a frying pan, sauté one medium onion, diced, and several cloves of garlic, also diced, in some bacon grease if you have it handy, or in a small amount olive oil.<br><br>When the onions are wilted, lower the heat to medium or less and throw in the meat mixture. Stir the mix for a couple of minutes until it's all happily bubbling away, and then let it simmer until the meat is thoroughly cooked.<br><br>Serve it with rice and, if you really want to be Cuban, with super-ripe fried plantains (I mean really ripe, boys and girls, like you're tempted to throw the plantain away cause it looks too black--that's when it's at its sweetest). Forget vegetables. We don't do no steekin' vegetables.<br><br>&#63743; &#63743; &#63743; &#63743;

Nice one, YoYo...<br><br>THAT'S!!! what I'm talkin' about here, kids!<br><br>It sounds pretty easy—even for novices—and very tasty (I'd add the raisins )<br><br>We need a ton of replies like this.<br><br>Is there a name for that recipe?<br><br>

It's called picadillo--not to be confused with pecadillo, although if you get a taste for picadillo it might become a pecadillo <br><br>And no, Marg, we don't normally put cilantro in the rice, but I do love cilantro.<br><br>&#63743; &#63743; &#63743; &#63743;

I bought plantains once, but had no clue about them.<br><br>I tried to use them before they were ripe, and they were just acrid. I TOTALLY didn't understand their use.<br><br>Then I had a beef-n-plantain-over-rice dish at a local restaurant.<br><br>And I understood.<br><br>

If you cook the plantain when it's green, it's completely different from what you get when you cook it when it's ripe. The way to cook them when they're green is like this.<br><br>Cut the plantain into chunks about an inch thick. Deep fry them in hot vegetable oil. When they begin to turn golden, take them out, then squash them down so they're about half an inch or so thick. Then dump them back into the hot oil and let them fry until they brown. Salt 'em and eat 'em. That's called platano chatino. You can also use the green plantain the same way you would a potato that you're going to mash. That's called fufu de platano verde. I never liked them that way, though, so I've never made it. And you can also slice the plantain really thin, potato chip thin, and fry them up--called chicharritas. You can find bags of chicharritas at most markets nowadays, at least in the northeast and FL. Don't know about the left coast, which is more influenced by Mexican than by Caribbean cuisine.<br><br>&#63743; &#63743; &#63743; &#63743;

The whole plantain thing is pure-white new to me.<br><br>I love bananas—for their flavor, their texture and their nutrient content—and I can totally understand the importance and use of plantains as a staple unit of cooking, much like the way we Eurocrappers have used potatoes.<br><br>I can use my third-eye tastebuds to imagine plantains being made into sweet, spicy and savory dishes. But I just never knew much about them before a year ago or so.<br><br>

A Jasper White Recipe I have used for lobster many times here. at least it is close to his cookbook in my kitchen.<br><br>I wrote this up over at MCF years ago:<br><br>Chik lobsters pound and a quarter to pound and a half are fine. Things get out of control if too much lobster at one time. I made this for four once and we did the whole thing two lobsters at a time. (Too much work and wine consumed before the finish, never again). <br><br>This guy is right, the 1/4 cup bourbon (which is cooked off) is key. I use Wild Turkey. (Chef gets one too). <br>The 1/4 cup white wine we use our house jug wine, Cribari Bianco (9.95/gallon) but any dry white will do. <br><br>This one boils the claws. We never did that but not a bad idea because they are the last thing to be done. May help deciding whether done or not. <br>Cutting up the lobster: we do what this one does but we do not throw the head away! keep everything in there. I remove the brain but leave any green or egg masses in the lobster. great flavoring. If any of the diners are squeamish I would take all the green and egg masses and toss them into a saute pan with a little butter and saute up as a side dish (splash of white wine). I love this stuff. <br>Crack open the claws and all the joints. (Whack with a mallet). The body is cut down the middle and so is the tail. (I think by cracking the claws and if they are small this is how you can omit the boiling of the claws. <br><br>We add a little tarragon along with the chervil and chives. <br><br>I would omit the "season with salt and pepper". Maybe if you boil the claws you need to do this but I would boil them in salt water (150millimolar NaCl) sheesh I used to make this in the lab. Small handful of salt to two gallons boil. <br><br><br><br>The preceding picture was when I lit the bourbon. Do turn off the lights, it's fun. <br><br>This is one of the more pain in the ass recipes but if you get everything in there it is going to be good. don't freak about the cooking time. With the wine, bourbon in there you can't overcook it. (But don't go overboard. <br><br>Last hint. This recipe says wait till shells blacken when under broiler. Depending on distance from the broiler and the pan this can go either way. If shelf setting makes you squeeze it all in allow for a touch of blackening. But if the distance is large just let some of the red shell start to change to brown. <br><br>Last last hint: lobster is so good I serve only french bread with it for sopping up all those weird things that fall out of the body. A little butter and fresh garlic in the bread and put it on the bottom shelf when you do the broiling. You could serve salad and corn on the cob with it but its just a distraction from the main event. <br><br>Hardest part: find the chervil. This may not seem like a break item because there really isn't too much to chervil but we've tried it without and there is a little flavor missing. It combos with the cooked off bourbon very well.<br><br><br><br><br><br>

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